Work histories of older adults in China: Social heterogeneity and the pace of de-standardisation.
Adv Life Course Res
; 48: 100399, 2021 Jun.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-36695139
ABSTRACT
Inequalities in the labour market are recognised as presenting a major impediment to extending the working lives of older adults in China as part of any proposed reforms of the public pension system against the background of population ageing. While a growing body of literature has paid attention to understanding this issue within the wider international context, there remains a dearth of research on work histories in China. This research which is crucial for the understanding of inequalities in later life. This paper provides a unique evidence on the work experiences over the life course of 7281 Chinese individuals aged 60 and over (born between 1930-1954), using retrospective life history data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. With the application of sequence analysis and cluster analysis, results reveal a picture of significant social heterogeneity within work trajectories between urban and rural areas and between men and women. Such differences are largely shaped by the wider economic and institutional context, as well as by key personal characteristics such as educational attainment. More importantly, cohort comparisons highlight how different groups of current Chinese older alduts have been affected by changes in the labour market and the public pension system over the past sixty years. Whilst it is to be expected that younger cohorts amongst today's older population will have experienced some de-standardisation of work trajectories following the opening up of the economy since the 1980s, the heterogeneity in work trajectories across different social groups within and between cohorts is notable. These findings emphasise the importance of ensuring policy design that delivers equitable pension entitlements and supports flexible working patterns in order to reduce inequalities in the labour market between rural and urban residents and between men and women.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Tipo de estudo:
Observational_studies
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Adv Life Course Res
Ano de publicação:
2021
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de publicação:
HOLANDA
/
HOLLAND
/
NETHERLANDS
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NL
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PAISES BAJOS
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THE NETHERLANDS